


Insecurities

by MistySkies



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: BoyxBoy, Bullying, Depression, Gay, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurities, Kissing, Love, M/M, Pompous Pep, Romance, Self-Hatred, danny phantom - Freeform, depressed, insecure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 12:36:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4835615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistySkies/pseuds/MistySkies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny has been being bullied. He can't help but believe the comments. He no longer believes he is attractive. But when Vlad catches him staring in the mirror, he is determined to prove to Daniel just how beautiful he really is.</p><p>Pompous Pep. LOTS of fluff. Slight depression, and self-hatred.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insecurities

**Author's Note:**

> Danny is eighteen in this. That's pretty much all the notes... lol enjoy!

INSECURITIES—

Danny stood in his bedroom, staring at the mirror expectantly. It was almost as though he expected his body to morph into something handsomer if he just continued staring and praying for it to happen. But no matter how many times he tried it, it never worked. It was always the same thing. Look in the mirror, point out all your flaws, and know you can’t do anything about it. He would always be ugly.

In reality, Danny was actually fairly attractive. Most people just didn’t know it. After all, he wore baggy clothing to hide his muscles and scars. Four years of ghost-hunting did that to a guy. The reason he hid his body was for two primary reasons. One, he didn’t want people to suspect anything, or connect the dots between himself and Danny Phantom. The second reason was more pessimistic. Two, he didn’t want people to see his “ugly” body.

The young man hated when people stared. The bullying of Dash Baxter, and sometimes Kwan, got to him. How they always called him ugly, pointed out every single flaw to him, and how he was worthless and a waste of space. Man, he hated those guys. But could they really be called “bullies”? Not just “those who tell the truth”?

Earlier that day had been worse than ever. Dash seemed to have failed a test, and decided to wail on him harder than usual. The insults came flying from his lips as easily as breathing. It was sad to think Danny had that many imperfections. So many imperfections that one could easily conjure several insults.

Danny sighed sadly, quickly pulling on a shirt and a pair of pants. He had just gotten out of the shower. He just had to look in the mirror, right? Now he felt completely miserable. He wasn’t sure if the enemy was the mirror, or himself.

The young man quickly left the bathroom, toweling his hair as much as possible. He liked to hide his body as much as possible. Dammit, he felt like such a girl. After all, it seemed he did nothing but judge himself. He had actually considered self-harm. 

The raven-haired halfa growled under his breath, hurriedly shutting his bedroom door. Eighteen years old and he still resided with his parents. By now Jazz had by far started college, and left Danny to live on his own, with his two ghost-hunting parents. Sam and Tucker were still his best friends, and nothing much had changed about them, besides the fact the two were now a happy couple.

Danny ran a hand through his damp hair in a rough manner, as if saying just how stressed he was. Fuck, when did his life go so downhill? With the bullying (or truth-telling, whatever), the ghost-hunting, the stress of school, and keeping his alter-ego undercover, it was all too much.

And then, a familiar wisp of blue air came from his lips, making him mumble incoherent things under his breath. “Who could it possibly fucking be?” he groaned loudly.

He glanced around worriedly, then shut his eyes to locate the ghost’s signature. According to his senses, the ghost was right in this room—

“Daniel?”

Fuck. To say Danny was surprised would be an understatement. After all, he hadn’t seen Vlad Masters/Plasmius for nearly two years. They had stopped their quarreling a little less than a couple years ago, due to an accident with Maddie, Danny’s mother. She had gotten hurt with a ghost, and they both decided to get over themselves and move on with their lives to protect the poor woman. Danny was quite surprised by how easy it was for Vlad to ignore him.

Once Danny opened his eyes, he blinked confusingly at the sight of Vlad Plasmius hovering above his carpeted floor. He looked the same as before, except for his suit being replaced by a similar attire, just from a different material and size. Hmm, maybe Vlad had gained more muscle and replaced the suit?

“Plasmius?” he asked bewilderedly. “What do you want? I thought we agreed—“

“Yes, Daniel,” Vlad sighed. “I know what we agreed to. Believe it or not, I care about you. And I have a secret to tell.”

Danny didn’t bother shifting into his ghost half. Because before he knew it, Vlad had landed on the floor and switched back into his human form. The eighteen-year-old narrowed his eyes wonderingly.

“Okay,” he drew out the word. “What is it? I’m a little busy here.”

Vlad frowned. “Doing what?” he murmured in his velvety voice. “Judging yourself in the mirror?”

Danny’s eyes widened, and his mouth was slightly ajar. How did Vlad know about that? He would have sensed the man before he was even in the neighborhood.

“It seems I’ve gained a new ability,” he explained at Danny’s confused expression. “I can hide my ecto-signature, so that only very powerful ghosts can sense my presence.”

There was a small moment of silence. “Wait,” Danny finally muttered. “How long have you known about this ability?”

“A few months.”

Danny sighed, dropping his head into his hands. “And… have you been spying on people? A.K.A, me?” he growled, anger beginning to rise.

Vlad frowned, face growing solemn. “Yes,” he answered honestly. “But it was for a greater cause. Because from what I’ve seen—“

“Oh, boy,” Danny groaned. “Who the fuck knows what you’ve seen.”

Vlad ignored him, but did give a roll of his eyes. “—you’re struggling with something. Particularly self-hatred.”

“So?” Danny replied carelessly. Inside, though, he was growing nervous. “Everyone has their insecurities. Am I not allowed to have mine?”

“When I’m around, no,” the silver-haired man sighed.

The younger halfa’s frown deepened. “Why do you care?” he asked bluntly.

Vlad paused for a moment. He sighed, sounding as though he was tired. “I don’t know,” he murmured in a sincere tone. “I wish I did, but I don’t.”

“Well, thanks for your concern, Vlad, but I don’t really need it,” Danny abruptly snapped. He didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. Especially Vlad Plasmius’s sympathy. That was just embarrassing, to him at least.

“I know what it’s like,” Vlad interrupted. The other male just tilted his head in a sign of curiosity. “To hate yourself. We’ve all pointed out our own flaws, including me. After the accident with the proto-portal, I knew then what real self-hatred was like. I felt—no, knew that no one cared. After all, Maddie and Jack never bothered to visit me in the hospital.”

Danny couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt wash over him. Why, he wasn’t so sure. All he knew was that he felt the sudden urge to comfort the older half-ghost. It was such a foreign feeling. Usually he only cared for those close around him. And yet, it seemed when Vlad DID hang around him, that he knew him quite well. Perhaps he related to Danny more than either of them knew.

“But….” Danny hesitated, feeling awkward and scared. Was he really going to comfort who used to be his arch nemesis? “But now, Dad’s missed you. He thinks of you as a best friend. And Mom… she doesn’t want to admit it, but I’m pretty sure she misses you too.”

Vlad just smiled sadly. “You never let me finish my story,” he chuckled softly. “It’s now that I realize I don’t care that both your parents didn’t visit or act concerned for my wellbeing after the accident.”

“Why?” Danny blurted before he could stop himself.

“Because,” the billionaire sighed. “Because there are more important things than focusing on the ones who don’t appreciate your presence.”

“Oh.”

That was actually quite wise, in Danny’s opinion. He never actually thought of it that way. What a unique perspective of life.

“Daniel?”

Said young adult perked up, an expectant expression on his face.

“Don’t listen to them,” he murmured sincerely. “I don’t care who it is hurting you, but don’t listen to a single thing they say.”

“Ho-how—“

“I can see through you very easily,” he answered simply.

And before he could stop himself, Danny lunged forward and engulfed the older man in a tight embrace. Vlad blinked in shock, momentarily stunned. Once he adjusted to the warm gesture, he wrapped his arms around the other just as tightly.

Once they pulled away from one another, Danny was still standing close to Vlad. Said man couldn’t help but lose himself in the sky-blue eyes of Danny Fenton. How could this young man not realize just how beautiful he truly was?

Not fully realizing what he was doing, Vlad leaned forward. Danny instinctively did the same, eyes already beginning to close. The moment their lips touched, immediate reactions were triggered in the both of them.

Vlad had those crazy butterflies in his stomach. He had only experienced such a feeling when it was with Maddie in college. But even then, they weren’t as strong as the ones now. As for Danny, the shorter male felt his mind go completely blank and at ease. Sparks flew within him, and he didn’t even recognize this man as one of his past enemies.

But then, Danny suddenly jerked himself away from Vlad. He blinked in shock, trying to process what he had just done. Fuck, did he just KISS Vlad? And he LIKED it? This was not good.

Vlad’s eyes widened as what he had just done dawned on him.

‘You liked it,’ Danny’s conscious told him. ‘It’s okay. What’ve you got to lose if you give him a chance?’

Sure, he had his whole life to lose. But the sparks that flew… something told him that he wasn’t the only one that felt that way during the kiss. Something told him that the feelings were mutual.

“Daniel, I’m sorry,” Vlad breathed. “I didn’t mean to—“

“Shut up,” Danny hissed. “Just—shut up and kiss me.”

Vlad barely had any time to regulate what he had just said. His body just acted instinctively to Danny’s command. So without a moment’s hesitation, he leaned forward once more and collided his lips with Danny’s.

Said eighteen-year-old naturally responded by shutting his eyes and leaning into Vlad’s touch. They kissed for what felt like hours. The sparks were unimaginable. It was like a rare puzzle piece had found its match out of millions of other pieces.

Once the two pulled away, Danny was still trying to comprehend all that had just happened in less than a couple minutes.

Suddenly, Vlad whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

Those two words were like his lifeline. He felt as though his whole world revolved around just those two words. Fuck, they meant so much to him.

He hadn’t even noticed the tears pricking at his eyes. He felt like such a baby, crying over nothing more than two words, but it was just so sentimental to him.

Vlad knew the cause of Danny’s tears. He smiled reassuringly and wiped away the stray tears with a thumb. “I’m only saying the truth,” he laughed joyfully.

Danny didn’t respond. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Vlad’s neck and pulled him in for another kiss. They both smiled into each other’s embrace, while Vlad looped his arms around Danny’s waist. This young man was like his addiction. And the only time he had kissed him or had any romantic interaction with him was now. He wanted this moment to last forever.

They pulled away for air, only to return once again to each other. The kiss deepened, before growing more heated. Vlad moved his hands to the back of Danny’s thighs, as if telling him to jump up. Danny seemed to get the message, and hopped up. He wrapped his legs around Vlad’s waist, clinging to the man tightly.

“Daniel,” he whispered against his lips. He opened his eyes to meet his, with an almost begging gleam in them. “Please,” he murmured softly. “Let me show you how beautiful you are.”

And Danny could only smile broadly and let a couple more tears fall.


End file.
